Frogs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails November 5, 2009

Despite having a few days off work, I have been a busy bunny and have no time to myself until this morning. Though I really should be getting the apartment in proper order. Last Saturday we went to Norma’s for Nick and Ellie’s Sayonnara party. Very sad to see them leave Tokyo. I first met Norma when Nick and James were babies and now we both have a daughter a piece too! Managed to get Alexa to sleep for a couple of hours before we left, which delayed our departure and so we had less time to play, but I’m sure Alexa would have been a nightmare if she had had no sleep before the party. Plus we have a looong train journey to add to the day’s agenda, which increases the chances of one or both of the kids having a strop at some point. A lovely day was had, however, and we got to meet some new people – one couple who live very close to us in Machiya. Hope to see Norma and her family at some point in the future in the UK.

I decided to go to Keisen Day (Culture Festival) on Culture Day no less. I took Alexa with me and Tadashi took James out to Megaweb in Odaiba – a car showroom theme park place. Despite only having one child to contend with at the school festival, I got to see very little of the things on show as I spent most of the time chasing Alexa around the corridors. Thankfully, due to swine flu epidemic, the event was only open to school staff, students and immediate families so over crowding was not a problem. Masks were provided at the door and so it looked like a convention of surgeons had descended upon the school. Still difficult to navigate the school when you have a toddler on the loose. The girls all went wild when they saw Alexa, who was in a very cutsey mood on Tuesday.

We left at lunchtime to make our way to Jen’s “Celebrating 10 Years In Japan” party in Nakameguro. Alexa had a kip in the buggy for about an hour which perhaps wasn’t long enough, but better than nothing. I decided to take a route which meant I had to do lots of train changes for one stop at a time but I was determined to arrive at the nearest station to the Nakameguro Taprooms. Jumping on the Ginza line at Omotesando for one stop to Shibuya, I step off the train one stop later to see the sign for Gaiemmae station. Ooops, gone in the wrong direction…. So decided to get back on the train and just get off at the next station that allowed me to change directly to the Hibiya line for Nakameguro. Luckily we had time to indulge this slight diversion and Alexa got stuck into a ham and cheese sandwich.

The Nakmeguro Taprooms is a lovely venue. Jen had booked it out for the afternoon so no Joe public wandering in and out. Met some more new faces, which is always nice. Sat mostly with a couple with two kids – their boy is a couple of months older than James and they had a 6 month old daughter too. Alexa was a complete social butterfly and did several turns around the room showing off her ability to mingle and make friends easily. She took a particular shine to an American guy who quite happily indulged her in some playtime. Mummy got to chat and drink some real ale whilst only keeping half an eye on her daughter. Sooooooo much easier to relax when you only have the one toddler to be responsible for. Luckily I got the easier of the two – Tadashi had a very tiring day at Megaweb with James.

I get home and James is already asleep on the sofa. It was 6pm or there abouts. Tadashi said they had a fun day and I think he was a little bit surprised how a day out means exactly that – the WHOLE day! James did not want to come home (surprise surprise!) Tadashi took lots of pics of James driving cars and clambering all over the back seats of cars and stuff. He also took him on the Big Wheel in Odaiba and they went to a game centre where James got to ride on a Thomas the Tank Engine train. They used the local bus to get to Odaiba so another thrilling ride on a different type of public transport no doubt added to the excitment of the Boys’ Day Out. Unfortunately, the pics relay a different story. James looks bored on most of the pics and whilst I’m sure James wasn’t bored, it’s just a bit disappointing to have no smiles. Perhaps he was too tired and overwhelmed by the whole thing. There’s a good one of him “driving a car” which I’ve added to this post.

I’ve noticed James is using a LOT more Japanese these days. He has started to refer to himself with “Boku” (“me” for boys only) and I distinctly heard him say “Eh Doh” (uurrm) – a true sign that he is beginning to sound like a native. He peppers his conversation with Japanese words all the time. “Take gomi” when handing me his rubbish. “Mummy, mite” (Look mummy). His English is increasing too and it just amazes me how much info they absorb in one day. Alexa is on the ball too. She listens to everything (unlike boys who have a genetic disposition to selectively hear only the things they want to). I’ll be speaking to James and ask him to put on his shoes and this morning I told him he’d need his fleece as it was cold outside. I turn round to find Alexa bringing James his fleece from the bedroom. She fetches and carries things for him ALL the time. At daycare she’ll want to help carry their bags into the playroom and is desperste to help the staff with hanging up coats and whatnot. James, on the other hand, never helps with the bags and on the one occasion that he did, he started a fight with Alexa when he snatched the lunchbag from her mits insistant that HE was going to carry it. He hardly ever puts away his toys “mummy do it” or he shouts Alexa to do it, who is usually already happily putting things away in the toy boxes. I hate to say it but “sugar and spice and all things nice” does ring true on a regular basis. Frogs and snails and puppy dogs tails is so apt aswell. At three years old James has already developed a healthy fascination with his willy. Whenever he is naked he will use the opportunity to show me his “big willy”. He adept at noticing everyday objects that resemble the shape of his will too. Sausages being the first item he decided was a replica of his willy. Holding a sausage next to his groin he’ll shout “Chinbo!” (Penis – though I think chinbo has a more cruder nuance actaully. Must encourage him to use less aggressive language. Have to have a word with his dad too!)

Had a difficult evening last night where Alexa threw up lots of milky sick all over her bed. Thanks for that, sweetheart! She was fine and demanding more milk not 5 minutes later, seemingly hungry after emptying the contents of her stomach over her lovely pink sheets. Clean sheets, clean pjs and an overall hosedown and I got her back in bed, but she woke up crying around 11pm. Settled down with her on the sofa – don’t want her waking up James on the top bunk. She would not go back to sleep oin her bed, in my bed and so we curled up on the sofa again. Got her back in my bed but she was wide awake in minutes. I mentioned the M word and she was oof the bed and propping herself up on the sofa ready for a drink in 3 seconds flat. I bring more milk and then we snuggle on the sofa. I managed to sneak away at around 1:30am and left her to sleep on the sofa with a crashmat of cushions on the floor should she roll that bit too far. She was fine this morn and the spew was probably down to giddiness and not illness me thinks.

Both are at daycare and I have a day off to fanny about at home and potter about the local area. Should also get my head around some work related stuff for future lessons too.

Our Day Out October 28, 2009

Had a lovely, albeit eventful, day at Lalaport in Tokyo Bay on Monday. Was great to see Angela again after what must be about 7 years. She hasn’t changed a bit apart from the fact that she is now a mother to two adorable little kids. Her daughter, Senna is the same school yr as James and they seemed to hit it off quite well. After a run around the soft play area outside Next, we decided to venture inside and see what bargains could be had. I managed to find some long sleeved t-shirts for Alexa (bought the wrong size and had to return them at the Omotesando store the following day! Just think Alexa is a lot more rotund and barrel chested than I thought. Just like mummy when she was a toddler!) Had forgotten to change nappies and given that James had drank loads of milk (surprise surprise) as we were finally leaving the shop, I noticed that James’ bum was all wet (surprise surprise!) Had to pop back in a buy James a pair of pants and got lucky as the shop assistant showed me a couple of pairs of jeans that were only 1000 yen.

James and Senna had been pushing the stack of shopping baskets around outside the store – they were stacked nicely onto a trolley thing with wheels which James thought was fab. The Next staff didn’t seem to mind that he was whizzing up and down with their shopping baskets, in and out of the shop, up and down the aisles. No wonder I bought the wrong sized clothes for Alexa! Perhaps not the best plan but off we went to Saizeriya family restaurant for lunch. As a rule I don’t normally “do” restaurants with the kids and only venture to restaurants ( for birthday get-to-gethers etc..) without them on the rare occasions I can persuade Tadashi to babysit his own children. My two were hungry but equally tired and so ate little but created a huge mess. Both were fascinated by the self-service drink bar and both would follow me whenever I went to refill my coffee cup. Couldn’t find the water tap on the machine – only for hot water- and so ended up getting some orange drink for the kids which naturally they loved as was loaded with sugar. Stupidly bought two kids’ plate dishes when (of course) one would have been suffice for the two of them.

Decided to jump on the bus after lunch and head back home as the journey to Lalaport isn’t the easiest with a buggy. I deliberately took the regular buggy and James did a lot of walking. It takes him about 30 mins to walk to our local station and then with all the train changes and running around inside the train – very exciting as the longest journey from Oshiage to the station near the Keibjyo was overland and a real treat for a train nerd like James. He’d reach his daily quota of exercise before we’d even arrived at Lalaport! Steps at the station and the fact that NOBODY helps you carry your buggy up or down steps made for a very tiring journey. Oh and the heavy rain and the fact that James refused to wear a raincoat preferring to use an umbrella – not his lovely kid sized pale blue with yellow and red buses design umbrella, but a regular white plastic throw-it-away when you’ve finished with it kind of umbrella. I was wearing my ultra unfashionable raincoat as holding an umbrella whilst pushing a buggy and keeping an eye on your three year old is impossible. Why oh why did I venture out so far in such treacherous conditions??? It was either that or another day spent stuck at home with two toddlers running rampage through the apartment. Really needed to get out as the previous day had been spent stuck indoors. There’s only so many things you can do with play doh and plastic train track really….

It was a good day though en-route home we stopped at Kinshicho to get James a decent raincoat. His dinosaur print one is a wee bit small and I think this is why he won’t wear it. He told me he’d like a Thomas the Tank one so off we head to Akachan Honpo Baby superstore. First stop the ATM corner which was awash with rain. Low and behold when I went to stop James meddling with the buttons on one of the paying in machines as a woman arrived wanting to use it, I literally went arse over tit taking James down with me. I landed on my back – feet disappeared completely from under me and as James was holding my hand at the time, he hit the deck with his large forehead. Poor baby was really shocked by the whole thing and there were tears for about 30 minutes followed by a big stroppy tantrum in Akachan. We did manage to get a Thomas raincoat and a new raincover for the buggy and, to help put a smile back on James’ face, a small toy post office van. Bumped into Jen in Akachan just as James was having his turn. Always nice to bump into friends when your kiddies are misbehaving and screaming the place down I feel! Decided against getting a taxi home as it is infact much harder to get a taxi when you have two kids, loads of shopping (two huge orange pumpkin balloons courtesy of Next Lalaport) and all the paraphenalia that you have to cart about when you leave the house for the day. Alexa was also sleeping soundly in the buggy too and a trip in a taxi would mean waking her up only to have her squirm in on my lap. Taxis, restaurants, buses are all big no goers at the moment. Though we did jump on the Lalaport free bus to and from the station and can not imagine doing a proper bus journey with the whole Sawamura entourage.

Another day out with mummy and James crashed on the sofa at 4:45pm and didn’t wake up til morning – ridiculously early mind, but he didn’t wake when I removed his pants and nappy. Nor did he wake up hungry in the night demanding milk and rice crackers. Gave mummy lots of one on one time with Alexa. I actually read some books to her properly. We never get any decent amount of uninterrupted time to spend reading together. She is a real sweetie at the moment and has developed a love of belly buttons and boobies. She pulls up my top and pokes me in the belly button then she continues to slap me on the stomach before reaching up and tweaking my nipples. I do get a huge hug afterwards though…

Finished work today for about 12 days. Tomorrow everyone is doing the prep for Keisen Day (School Festival – Bunkasai) and part time teachers are not involved at all in the prep. Tuesday is the day of the festival and Weds is the cleaning up and getting everything back to normal. Thursday is the day of rest in lieu of the national holiday they all missed due to Bunkasai (Tuesday 3rd is a national holiday in Japan). I think I may have persuaded Tadashi to take James to the Car Theme Park place in Odaiba on Tuesday which leaves me free to pop into school and see a bit of the school festival and them taking a trip into central Tokyo to attend Jen’s 10th Anniversary in Japan party. (I take it all back what I said earlier! He is even doing a stint of babysitting on the evening of the 7th Nov when I put on my glad rags and head out to Daikanyama for Renae’s birthday celebration.) This festival malarky sounds all the more do-able if I only have to take Alexa with me. I’m sure Alexa might like the festival as there is bound to be lots of dancing and cheerleader stuff going on. She won’t get as bored so easily as James as she is happy just toddling along, whereas James would, no doubt, be deliberately looking for things to touch and destroy! And I know mummy will enjoy Jen’s party more if she isn’t pre-occupied with chasing TWO toddlers around a pub. It’ll be much easier to enjoy a drink or two and sample the food on offer aswell. I may even get lucky and manage to engage in normal conversation with other Tokyo dwellers. Fingers crossed.

Bunkasai October 24, 2009

[gallery]We had a lovely morning at K International School’s bunkasai today. Heard about it from the Danish woman in my Japanese class and as the school is at the next station from ours, I decided a bit of face painting might be quite nice for the kids. I have no intention of sending my kids to this school or any international school for that matter, but wanted to have a nosey all the same. We purchased the tickets and James made a bee line for the big inflatable slide. He had several goes and even had several unofficial goes when he managed to innocently sneak past the staff and crawl back up for another go without handing in another green ticket. Had to go back and buy more tickets as the face painting was 3 tickets a pop for a full face design. Not much to do at these things other than eat and Tadashi tried some chanko nabe served by proper ridgy didge Sumo wrestlers. I’m guessing there were other things going on in the sports hall and perhaps some classrooms had things aimed at older kids but my two are really too young to appreciate the delights of a traditional bunkasai and mummy was worn out with all the checking they weren’t running off in different directions lost between the legs in the crowd.

After Bunkasai we headed home and picked up Jenny en-route. Jenny is my new colleague at work and she came over for a chinwag and to give me an update about the current state of affairs in the English department. It’s so nice to work with someone so friendly and conscientious who clearly loves teaching. She is relatively fresh off the boat so to speak and coping quite well her new environment. I have to remind myself she has only been living in Japan for two and half months as she seems so together. Luckily she has her hubby with her too and he has also found a job so hopefully they will both be settled in to their new life properly very soon. I forget how up and down things can seem when you first arrive in Japan. The kids enjoyed her company, Alexa especially who was all smiles and cutesy for our guest.

Other sociable things we have done recently…..a birthday picnic last weekend for Kio (Renae’s daughter) who turned 3. A lovely day in Yoyogi Park, great weather for frisby throwing and running about. True to form, my two ran off and preferred to play as far away from the picninc area as possible! Renae and I took shifts in playing far afield with the kids (Sena, her youngest joined my two in their exploits) Both were filthy by the time I decided to pack them up and get them home and both were in bed ridiculously early which was nice. James has been going to bed ridiculously early a lot recently – on those days he spends all day with mummy, he is completely cream crackered. The reverse can be said of the days he spends at nursery where the kiddies don’t venture outside and so I have had to spend my entire evenings entertaining James who won’t go to bed because he isn’t tired enough. I don’t think he has a nap at daycare anymore either. His eating habits are weird at the moment too. He doesn’t “do” breakfast preferring to down abour 400ml of milk instead. I picked them up on Friday and about an hour later I got round to emptying out their daycare bags and discovered that neither of them had eaten ANY of their lunch. Alexa eats a decent breakfast, but James didn’t eat anything until about 5 o’clock – a few senbe to tide him over until dinner when he finally ate some curry and rice. He didn’t scoff down lots then either. Today he has eaten a tuna sandwich – late lunch, but he was handed lots of sweets from other older kids at the Bunkasai and I know he has eaten far more than I would normally allow. Normally I would allow no candy type things past his lips, but I have discovered that he eats some sweets at daycare and so now is aware of their existence. Bugger! I don’t mind him eating a bit of cake or a biscuit but wanted to avoid candy for as long as possible.

Am catching up with a very old friend on Monday – old as in met her when I first arrived in Japan. She is infact around the same age as me and not some octogenarian! We both lived in Fujisawa (perhaps in the same building, but my memory is abit foggy. The AF building was habited by predominently Nova teachers). She moved to Chiba years ago and is married with two kiddies who are a little bit younger than my two, but they are around the same age apart. Going to Lalaport in Tokyo Bay which is aparently very near to Ikea. I had no idea there were other shops in that vicinity. I have been to Ikea twice (once with James – nightmare at the station as steps only) and once on my own. Had I known about the shopping centre behind Ikea I would have made a day of it, but will have chance on Monday though don’t fancy my chances of getting much done with the kids in tow. Am going to risk travelling by a different route to avoid Minami (minus a lift) Funabashi station.

Both mine asleep and I will be following shortly. Must try to endeavour to keep this blog up to date but am finding it harder and harder to get any time to myself these days. Blogging is a little low down on my list of priorities some days. So much to get done once I get in from work – I hate coming home to the breakfast dishes and piles of washing, but what’s a working mum to do, eh? The kids are getting worse at creating havoc and destruction around the apartment. Toys and books spilling out everywhere. I did organise the toys recently when I bought some new bookcases for the kids’ room, but alas I am happy now if the toys are just thrown into any toy box and I don’t really give a toss if the train track is muddled up with the jigsaw puzzles as long as there is no trail of toys under foot.

The Wonder Web Queen October 10, 2009

Spotted a cat today and suddenly remembered a funny on-going joke that James has started. Walking home from nursery the other day Alexa sees a cat sitting outside a barbers shop and points to the cat and says (what James and I both assumed was the word) “dog”. We both had a bit of a laugh about this and James kept making “woof woof” noises at the cat – a seemingly very old black cat sat on a mat no less. As we neared our building we saw an old lady walking her two incredibly small ratty little dogs. James immediately shouted out “Cat” and started making meowing noises at these creatures. The woman must have thought James was taking the piss, which he was of course, but in an innocent three year old kind of way. James now likes nothing more than to deliberately use the wrong word when naming things. This morning he was referring to his knee but laughing hysterically as he deliberately used the word elbow. Love this developing sense of humour.

After a stressful morning, I decided to take the kids to Mizube – the local playrooms – as we haven’t been there in ages and I really felt like they had trashed the apartment enough for one day. We had a great time and both kids spent ages messing about with the train track and an equal amount of time cooking up all sorts of dishes in the toy play kitchen. Great idea if ever there was one – am considering getting some kind of kitchenette toy for the kiddies for Christmas. They have lots of plastic food stuffs and a few Ikea picnic plates and bowls, but feel they could do with a kitchen bench or a stove – where we would put this I have no idea. Though I do suspect that if I bought a sooper dooper toy kitchen they wouldn’t play with it. I really want to get James a bike for Christmas too and perhaps some girly dolly things for Alexa, who at the moment is car and train crazy. Consequently, there are lots of squabbles over toys.

Managed to get James in bed by 6pm tonight. I’m guessing a day with mummy is far more exhausting than a day at nursery where they do not venture outside. James likes to walk everywhere at the moment too, which is a good thing but also slows us down some what. We went to the shops this morning whilst Alexa was asleep and so he got a good hour’s walk in there. On the way home from the jidokan today, James decided he needed a sit down, but we were using the single buggy. He unstraps the buggy board and sits on it. I continued to push the buggy but was concerned that James’ trainers were getting scuffed to buggery from him dragging his feet along the pavement as he rode the buggy board. I shifted his legs into the lotus position and we continued as he sat like Little Buddha. I later realised, however, that his footwear was undamaged but his stretchy denim look pants were now sporting a huge hole in the back of one of the legs. Thankfully, the pair I bought him last year and not one of the pairs I bought last week! I think they can be repaired if only extremely unprofessionally by me, the Wonder Web Queen! If I can be bothered that is… Must check out the 100 yen shop and/or the habidashery for something denimy to mask the hole.

The pics at the top were taken a few days ago. This kind of mayhem and chaos is the norm in our house. Drawers emptied on to the floor, trails of “stuff” everywhere and I spend an enormous amount of time each day picking things up and putting things back where they belong. Emptying out the clothes is a particular favourite pasttime of both my kids and it drives me insane. I always try to put away the laundry when they are engrossed in some play doh type activity at the dining table for fear of them wrecking havoc in the closets and creating that much loved laundry mountain in the middle of their bedroom floor. If it’s not washing and clothes, it’s their books or the bloody lego. James isn’t the most helpful of little boys and prefers it if mummy does all the donkey work. He did help out the other day and actually put books back on the bookshelves and put toys in their correct boxes in the bedroom shouting as he finished, “dekita!” and then in English “I did it!”

We have a BBQ at Akiko’s house tomorrow which should be fun. James LOVES Akiko and often will pipe up “See see Akiko!” And tomorrow you shall my dear boy. Have bought some scrummy sausage and will pick up some of those maki sushi thingymebobs with either natto, tuna or cucumber in them. They do make for an easy lunch for kids and I know there will be a fair few kiddies at the BBQ. James woke up about 30mins ago demanding milk. As he was sitting drinking his milk we had a little chat.

Me: Which do you like the more milk or rice?
James: Milk
Me: Which do you like more milk or senbe?
James: Senbe.
Me: So senbe is number 1?
James: Yeah, and milk is number 2.
Me: Rice is number 3?
James: Yeah and Jelly is number 4.
Me: Oh, you like jelly, don’t you?
James: Kake number 5. (furikake is dried seaweed/fishy stuff you sprinkle on rice)

We didn’t get any further down the list and I am surprised that he didn’t mention ice-cream, which he had a craving for this week nor did he mention melon which he can gobble down in huge quantities when the mood takes him. I wonder where he’ll place natto (stinky, slimey fermented soy beans) on his list?

Half a Gadgie… October 9, 2009

…is an colourful expression used by Geordies (people born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK) to describe a woman who looks like a man. This is how I feel at the moment with my current hairdo. There’s short and there’s shorn in my opinion and many Japanese hairdressers don’t know the friggin difference! Thank god I live in a foreign country and people just assume that it’s gaijin eccentricity that prompted the “brave” new look. “Thy lesbic image is complete” as one friend commented despite having not seen the new barnet. Thankfully the GI Jane look has been met with positive comments too – my new colleague at work, Jenny’s immediate reaction was “cute.” Though I guess she is not considering using the 2000 yen money off voucher I gave her as an introduction to the salon I currently frequent. Frequent is perhaps not quite the right word as it was only my second visit. Am seriously considering returning to my previous hairdresser.

Lots of funny chats with James this week. Though I know I have forgotten half the things he has said and must endeavour to write them down AS SOON AS he says them. Like that’s possible!

Me: You know you are really beautiful, don’t you?
James: Yeah.
Me: Is mummy beautiful?
James: No.

Recently James has become rather taken with his willy.

James: Big willy!
Me: (turning round to see him fiddling with himself) Oh yeah. Do you like playing with your willy?
James: Yeah. Play with willy at nursery.
Me: Oh. I think you should play with your willy at home and not at nursery. OK?
James: OK.

I’m quite sure they do not let James run around minus his pants at daycare so there is absolutely no danger of James showing the staff and other kids his “big willy”! He was just testing me, right? He seems to have developed this “interest” since his 3yr check up where the doctor checked his willy and instructed me (rather briefly) on how to clean James’ willy thoroughly. I remember a few yrs ago my neighbours received a booklet with cartoon pics depicting the correct way to clean under your three yr old son’s foreskin. Naturally as they were flicking through it, I noticed the content and I was like “What are you reading!!??” Only in Japan, eh? They must be experiencing cut backs because we were not given such a booklet only a quick demo – something James clearly remembers as I frequently find him fiddling with his foreskin these days.

Alexa is a wee bit poorly with a cough and a runny nose though no temp so has been going to nursery. Thought I was going to have probs giving her the meds as the first dose I tried to give her when we returned from the docs the other evening she flatly refused to take. Though so far so good and she has even been taking the bitter tasting one without it being mixed into anything sweet like icecream or condensed milk as suggest at the pharmacy. Good job really as I never have a stash of icecream in the freezer – buy it, eat it immediately kind of system I have going on here. I haven’t had condensed milk since primary school I think, and didn’t even know you could get it here. Not something that is usually on my shopping list. There is the jelly stuff you can buy at the pharmacy that is designed just for this purpose – to mix with nasty tasting medicine, but it’s a bit of a rip off to be honest. She seems fine and am glad it’s not the oinky kind of illness that is sending everyone into a panic. Just one of theose “change of the season” colds that seem to be popular here in Japan.

I have a million things to do today. Need to pop to the post office before I go to Japanese class at 10:30. Am so not going to get there in time for the free Kanji class that starts in 5 minutes!! Have to pop back to daycare to give James his blanket which we forgot this morning. There will be tears if he spends to great a length of time without his blanket for company. Have to go to Sun Street shopping centre after class to return the training pants I bought last week. Went to open that pack last night to discover they were L size and not Big ones! Durrr! Also am going to return the new raincoat I bought for James last week at Motherways. He refuses to wear it despite saying he wanted the yellow one in the shop!!!! It’s way too big for Alexa and don’t want to shove it a cupboard only to forget about it and it then becoming too small for her. Will have a day in Kameido mooching about the shops…..oohh, I can go to Don Quioxte (sp?) as I don’t have to struggle with a buggy between the narrow over-stocked to the ceiling aisles!

Time to fly…..

Typhoons and Twins October 8, 2009

So we managed to survive “the biggest typhoon to hit Japan since WWII.” It was a bit hairy for an hour or so in the early morn – enough for school to cancel lessons for the morning. I am now waiting til 10am when I have to check the school website to learn if I have to trek halfway across Tokyo to teach ONE 45 min lesson. The other lesson I usually teach on Thursday afternoons is cancelled due to influenza. Five students in one class have the dreaded lurgy and so the whole class have been told to take the week off in fear of the oinky germs spreading further.

The sun came out by 8:30am and so I decided to take the kids to daycare, but they were already engrossed in play doh activities and it took a wee while to persuade James that we would be venturing outside. My skills in persuasion were tested to the hilt this morn as James decided that he wanted to walk to nursery. Despite watching the news and seeing pics on the telly of grown adults struggling to keep upright and of trees uprooted from their beds, James couldn’t quite get a grasp of just how strong the wind really was. Anyway, got them both tethered to the buggy and off we went. Only one incident where the rain cover blew right off the buggy despite my using clothes pegs to tie it more firmly to the buggy frame.

Work is going well. Love the students at the moment – bar one class who have tried to pull a fast one with both me and Andy, who takes the other half of the group. I was marking the 2nd yr homework (which was about their school trip to Kiyosato where they milked cows and made butter and had a jolly good time in the countryside learning about dairy farming and whatnot) when I experienced a strange feeling of deja-vu. Not just something that kind of sounded familiar, but word for word, letter for letter (mistake for mistake) even down to poor layout of the sentences on the page – new sentence, new line – where do they learn something like that? I shuffled through the papers to locate the identical paper that I had marked about ten mins earlier. By the time I had finished marking all the papers from this class I had found 6 papers that I could safely “twin” with another. Naughty, naughty! And this a Horticultural Christian Girls’ School!

Met the class yesterday and after speaking to Andy earlier, we decided to give them a big fat zero and tell the “twins” that they have other chances to make up the points later in the year. Was tempted to rip the papers up infront of them as way of demonstration of how “angry” I was, but decided it best that I keep hold of the offending papers should any parents come in to complain if they get wind that their daughter got zero for a piece of English homework. Must retain evidence to justify my actions. Basically, they will have to pull their fingers out and get full marks, or as near as, for their other mini assessments if they are to get anything like a decent overall grade by the end of the semester. Two of the girls in question are usually very hard workers so you don’t really have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who did their homework and who merely copied their friend’s hard work. The class that follow this one are the exact opposite – they exude enthusiasm for English class and always put in 200%. I am always amazed at how class personalities can vary so much….

….Typhoon update…. school closed this afternoon too! Am now worried that there is more horrid weather on the horizon. The skies look clear and blue though…

A day at home catching up on house chores and seeing as is blustery out there I am going to attack the washing mountain in the bathroom and pray that our clothes don’t get blown away into oblivion. Better have a gander at neighbouring balconies to see if anyone else is risking feeding their entire wardrobe to the typhoon….

Nope! Stupid idea then…

Alexa and the Bunkbeds October 2, 2009

Am finding it difficult to find the time to sit down and write my blog these days. Such is the life of a busy working mum! James and Alexa run me ragged every evening and I feel as if I am always playing catch up. Managed to catch up today, if only to give the floors the once over with the steam cleaner and to organise the crap that piles up on the dining table. I did make a cake as well using the very ripe banana that was sitting in the fruit bowl. Despite not following a recipe or having any scales to weigh the ingredients properly, it turned out remarkably well. I did nip to Uniqlo to pick up a few bargains too. In fact I bought more than I intended and am now the owner of a black Down puffer coat! Picked up some sweatpants for James and when I got home I realised they are for girls – slight boot cut and low slung waist. Will try them on him tomorrow and see how they fit. Alexa got some black leggings type pants, three t-shirts that will probably do for her next summer and a pink velour hooded top with zipper thingy. We are turning into the Uniqlo family as I was only there last week and picked up two black chunky knit cardies for me – 990 yen a piece. Can’t leave them in the shop for that price, eh? James also got two new t-shirts from Next – couldn’t resist the navy and red emergency services t-shirt! Nee-nah nee-nah.

Am expecting Alexa to spew out a load of new words anyday now. She is babbling away like a mad woman and likes nothing better than to “read to herself”. I don’t remember James being so vocal. Though he is also speaking more and more. It’s as if he’s been waiting to make sure he can speak properly before he actually attempts any new words. Complete contrast to his sister. Want to read to them both more and more, but this is proving very difficult of late. We were sitting on the sofa tonight after our bath and they both wanted me to read to them and the both wanted me to read the same books. One would think this would make the task so much easier, but it doesn’t. Both want my undivided attention and kick up a fuss if I read to the other. I sit myself sandwiched between the two of them to make it easier to read to them both, but they are having none of it. There is kicking and moaning as they vie for my attention. I tried to read one page from one book, then one page from the other book but this was not good enough. James would demand “read MY book!” When we have finished, they (get this) swap books!!!

Last night’s drama involved Alexa and the bunkbeds. Need I say more? She climbed out of the top bunk and landed (luckily) on the cushions that make a crashmat next to the bunks. What was she doing up there and why wasn’t I watching her like a hawk!? Both James and Alexa were on the top bunk playing with loads of trucks and what not. I was supervising and when James asked to get down I lifted him off the bunk and assisted him sorting through some coins he had accumulated. We were standing about one foot from the bed sorting out Japanese coins from foreign coins when I happen to look round to check Alexa only to see her dangling her legs over the guard rail of the top bunk and drop to the floor. There were tears, but nothing a big cuddle couldn’t sort out. Thank god there is always a pile of cushions on the floor next to the bed. I think I should keep that bunkbed ladder hidden forever.

Am knackered and must get to bed. I’m up at 5:30am everyday though tomorrow we have no daycare so I don’t have to get up before the kids wake to make bentos and make myself look presentable. Am hoping they don’t wake til about 6:30. Fingers crossed…

Silver Week September 25, 2009

The weather was lovely over the Silver Week holiday and we managed to get out and about at various parks for picnics and whatnot. Monday we went to Yamashita Park in Yokohama to meet Nicole, Duncan and Neil for a picnic. Was able to lounge about a bit as Duncan and Nicole seemed keen to chase the kids around the park. Had a good ‘ole chinwag with Neil as we drank wine and ate lots of goodies. Neither James nor Alexa wanted to go home and we had the usual tantrums as I tried to fasten Alexa into the buggy. I did think she would fall asleep en-route home but alas she was wide awake the entire time and James got the luxury of a big long nap in the back of the buggy. He slept ALL the way home and I transferred him to my bed when we got home so I could easily change his nappy if he did indeed stay asleep for the duration of the night. I changed his nappy at around 8pm and he was in a deep enough slumber to let me transfer him to the top bunk where he stayed until morning. No dinner, no bath, but hey he was knackered obviously.

Alexa, on the other hand, would not go to bed despite only having a short nap in the buggy earlier in the afternoon. She has developed a habit of refusing to go to bed which has coincided with her new skill of climbing out of the bottom bunk. I knew we would be experiencing bedtime blues now that she can get out of bed without assistance. Funny how she doesn’t climb out in the mornings but waits for mummy to come and carry her to the livingroom. She doesn’t wake up during the night, but getting her to stay put in the bunkbed is proving a challenge at the moment. Have to tank her up on milk as she reclines on her futon and pillows. I also have to kiss the soles of her feet and pretend to bite her toes. Only then will she roll over and go to sleep. Funny girl!

Another lovely day in Yoyogi park with Rachel and Akira on Wednesday. Lots of chasing Alexa around the park. She just wouldn’t stay close by and insisted on running away down to where there is a little brook/stream. Retrieved her several times and I am surprised that the collection of cars and the car play mat I’d brought along didn’t occupy her as much as I’d hoped. I guess she is just at that age where she wants to assert a bit more independence. As we walked along Omotesando Dori (an attempt to get Alexa to sleep in the buggy again!) we realised that there was a kind of parade – I think something to do with the 2016 Olympic bid. The noise prevented Alexa from sleeping and wanting to join in the fun Alexa managed to escape from the five point harness as I pushed the buggy along. I suddenly realised that she was infact standing up in the front seat and so had to stop (hard to do in the middle of a holiday parade-watching crowd on Omotesando Dori. There were lots of tears and an extra strong struggle but I managed to tether her to the seat once more. She did her Houdini act again not 5 minutes later and it was then that Rachel and I decided to fiddle with the straps of the harness to see if there was some way we could tighten them further. Once more Alexa was strapped into the buggy against her will. People were staring as this poor little girl was wailing her head off as she tried to contort her body out of the harness. Luckily the straps are now as short as they can possibly go and I know if James is to sit in the front seat, I’ll not be able to strap him in.

James was funny this evening. He likes to fall asleep on my bed and sometimes he calls me to come and lie with him as he goes to sleep. All week I have been trying to get him to wear proper underpants as we are (again!!) experiencing problems with toilet training. I told him the other day if he wears pants when we go out shopping and we get home and his pants are still dry then I would give him a present. He seemed keen and when I suggested he go to the loo before we leave he ran off and sat on the loo. We chose a pair of Lightening McQueen underpants from his drawer and as I was putting them on he suddenly decided he did not want to wear underpants and pulled pulled them off. He asked to wear a nappy but I refused to comply. He runs to my room where the nappies are kept and for the first time ever he puts on his own nappy. The smile on his face said it all really. I’ve tried a few times to persuade him to wear pants and even the suggestion of wearing a training pad in the pants was quickly dismissed. Tonight as we lay on my bed I suggested to James that he wears underpants tomorrow. “No, wear nappy! came the reply. OK. I tried another suggestion. He can wear a nappy but if he uses the loo all day and his nappy stays dry then he can get a present of a toy car. He thought about this and agreed. Then he started to joke around and said “Wee wee in nappy get car.” He was laughing his head off as he made this bold suggestion. I wanted to laugh myself but I also want him to take toilet training seriously. “That’s not one of the conditions we agreed to,” I explained. So he continues “Wear nappy get car.” He was in hysterics laughing at his own cleverness. He is certainly one funny boy. Am hoping he gives either the wearing of underpants or the dry nappy challenge a try tomorrow. Fingers crossed he plays ball.

Japanese class was much more enjoyable this week despite the fact that the teacher accused me of not paying for the month of September. The first lesson in September was taken by a different teacher and it was to this teacher that gave 2000 yen (very reasonable lessons as all volunteers). So shouldn’t really complain about the lessons really. I can not imagine people in Britain giving up their free time to volunteer to teach English to foreigners. All the teachers/volunteers are genuinely keen to make life here in Japan a pleasant experience. Today’s lesson was a bit more interactive – lots of realia was used in the class and we all got to chat about what we did over Silver Week. We did some origami following the intructions she gave us and I think I was the only retard who couldn’t do it. I am truly hopeless at things like that and I just know that it won’t be long before James and Alexa develop an interest in paper cranes. Thankfully the lady at daycare is always doing origami with the kids in her care and I often find bits of origami stuffed into the front cover of their hoikuen diary/book thingy. At the moment they are still obsessed with play doh and colouring in books. I’m hoping they don’t make the crafty leap to origami for a couple of years yet. Surely the next level in the craft work rankings must be fuzzy felts or something similar. I wonder if they sell fuzzy felts in Japan….

Anyway the lesson was better today and if I manage to get my act together I may just pop along a bit earlier next week to join one of the 30 minute kanji classes. I also exchanged phone numbers with the Danish woman and we are perhaps going to have a coffee with her American friend who is in a different Japanese class in the room next door. If I manage to keep on top of the chaos at home and the place doesn’t look too much of a mess on Friday morn I may invite them over to mine for coffee/lunch or similar.

Better get to bed. Had better move my boy to his own room too as I think that hub is coming home tonight and he may not be too keen on sharing the bed with a three year old toddler. Though it’s 11pm and no sign of him yet. I hope he isn’t expecting any dinner…

Bed Hoovering September 20, 2009

Yes, I’ve been hoovering the bed. James’ bed. Twice. After another busy day, I finally get the kids in bed, but I can hear James messing about on the top bunk. Why do boys insist on taking soooo many toys to bed with them? He has a bag for his cars – a Lightnening McQueen bag no less. The bag goes everywhere with him as he likes to take half his car collection with him. I go in to see what he is doing and there is gravel all over his bedsheets. I go and get the hoover whilst James returns all his cars to his “car bag”. So I am hoovering the top bunk at 9pm and poor Alexa is trying to sleep on the bottom bunk. Five minutes later James calls me back and he had emptied more gravel from his car bag onto the bed. I repeat hoovering procedure and remember to confiscate car bag this time. I’d forgotten he’d taken the bag to the park that morning and had buried half his cars in the ground as I pushed Alexa on the swings. Must remember to change bedsheets today. …

….several hours later and I have a few minutes to myself again. After sorting out the bathroom yesterday and the closet outside the bathroom I have found new homes for lots of things. Various plastic storage drawers have been swapped about and I like the way my bathroom now looks less cluttered. Am getting rid of the baby bath at last as both kids seem happy enough in the big bath. Today’s task (after changing the sheets on the bunkbeds) was to sort out out the kids’ bedroom and we set off early to go to Shimachu Homecentre to pick up a couple of colourful bookshelves. James and Alexa were keen to help mummy assemble the turquoise bookcase and lime green bookcase and I was surprised with my DIY expertise. Books were transferred to the new bookshelves from the old one (which is now back in the livingroom where it belongs). Looks smashing now so much so that I decided to get two more. Tadashi arrives home from Gunma Ken and we all ate some curry for lunch – all four family members sitting at the dining table eating TOGETHER. This has not been done in months. Daddy home meant that I could nip out to the homecentre again to pick up another two identical bookcases. Very reasonable at 898 yen a piece. People were snapping them up.

I seem to spend a lot of time at the homecentre. We were there yesterday getting some decent toothbrushes and not the Thomas the Tank Engine crappy ones that the dentist doesn’t rate very much. Bumped into my friend Yayoi and her husband and little boy and she confirmed that she is infact pregnant again. When I last saw her at the Jabu Jabu a few weeks ago she suspected as much and now she is in the midst of morning sickness. Poor woman. I imagine it must be awful. Despite having been pregnant twice, I have (luckily) no experience of morning sickness. Congrats to her and her hub anyhow.

Whilst I was out at the homecentre, Alexa managed to drop a heavy silver moneybox on her foot. There was blood apparently and a lot of tears. She went to bed shortly after – another late nap which will mean she will be going to bed later than is normal tonight. James helped me assemble the final two bookcases and he is now watching Toy Story – current favourite movie. We have to watch it at least two times a day. Most of the time it is just on in the background. We haven’t watched Cars in ages – another fave. Poor Alexa has to always watch what James wants to watch – she prefers The Wiggles as she really likes to dance. Have glanced over at the sofa and James is asleep. Alexa is still in the bedroom having a nap and Tadashi is having a nap in our bedroom. Mummy never gets chance to have a nap!

Should really get back to my chores. I want to go around the flat removing grubby fingerprints from doors, the backs of the dining chairs and such like. I also need to wipe off the muck that is coating the TV screen. I think it is a mixture of toothpaste and breakfast cereal! The stainless steel fridge could do with the once over too.

Must remember to print out the menus I made for my J2 lessons too. Was rather pleased with the finished results. I even added a bit of clip art – something I haven’t fiddled around with in over three years. The menus I had made for previous lessons at my old school were a bit wordy for J2 so I simplified them just a little. Must say have been rather productive over the past few days. Am rather looking forward to chilling out at Yamashita Park tomorrow, though I know I’ll be chasing James in one direction and Alexa in the other!

Loony Magnet September 18, 2009

I was busy minding my own business yesterday as I waited for the train at Yoyogi Uehara station, when I was accosted by a loud Japanese man who was desperate to show off his English skills. He uses the cunning trick of asking about the next train as a conversation starter and proceeds to tell me he has been living in California for 10years introducing Japanese and Filipino cleaners and babysitters to prospective families. Not au pairs, but cleaners and babysitters. All this on the platform and I learnt that he was staying with his sister for one month in Japan. Lucky woman! The train arrives and naturally, he wants to sit next to me and continue harrassing me.

Loony: You must be an American!
Me: No, I’m British.
Loony: Ah, you are British! (Gets out his wallet) Waving a five pound note in my face he asks, “do you know this money?”
Me: It’s a five pound note. An old one.

He proceeds to quiz me about the variety of currencies he had stuffed in his wallet. Pointing to a Chinese banknote he not only asks me to identify the face of Chairman Mao, but to guess how much the note was worth in yen! The same for the 10,000 Wan note (about 800 yen apparently, if I am to believe what this man says). He was impressed that I could recognise the Australian dollar – luckily the keyword, Australia, was written on the banknote. I managed to identify the face on the note – again the name, which escapes me now, Mary somebody or other, was written next to her picture. He tells me that perhaps Australians don’t know who this woman and wants to know why she is on the banknote. I don’t know!!! I ask him why is Higuchi Ichiyo featured on the 5,000 yen note when most Japanese people have no idea who she is. He tells me that it is because young Japanese people are stupid. How does this answer my question? Thankfully, I was able to make my escape after three stops, and I bid him farwell. I just wanted to read my book in peace on the train…

A busy evening followed. The kids wanted to play in a small park that we pass en-route home everyday. I often stop and refill their beakers with water but today was the first time we have actually stopped to have a go on the elephant slide. We were still at the park when the 5 o’clock chimes rang. Neither James or Alexa wanted to go home for their tea. Somehow I managed to persuade them that going home was a good idea and we finally got home (to face the breakfast dishes and mess made that morning) at 6pm. I guess a day couped up at daycare takes its toll and they are both desperate to run around in the fresh air.

Had a Japanese lesson today which was extremely boring Zzzzz. I like having a lesson with other nationalities but I find the teachers are ill equipped to deal with the class. The text is great for reference but not for use in class. There are few examples to practice and certainly not enough examples for the size of our class – today there were 7 of us. The teacher seems to think that reading from the text is the same as speaking. So we all have our heads down looking at the text waiting for our turn to “speak”. Today the teacher introduced lots of kanji in the lesson – other classmates have said they can’t read kanji so the focus of today’s lesson was to ask basic questions about signs we may see around town. Kono kanji no yomi kata wa nan desu ka? Dou iu imi desu ka? (How do you read that kanji? What does it mean?) Given that I hardly ever see my husband, we email A LOT. This has been great for my kanji ability. However, on two occasions today in the lesson the teacher corrected my reading of the kanji she showed the class only to say it was correct a few minutes later. The first kanji was “kiken” (danger!!!!) and when she “didn’t hear” me I said it means “abunai” (dangerous) and then she said “no” only to write the word 危険　(kiken) on the board. A few kanji later she was holding up a flash card with the kanji 駐車禁止 (chuusha kinshi – No parking) another everyday kanji you see everywhere and I said “chuusha”. To which the teacher replied, “No, that means injection.” Yes, I know chuusha means injection aswell – my kids have had their jabs thank you very much. Not two minutes later she was explaining to the class that chuusha also means injection. She writes this kanji on the board 注射 (injection)
I ask her if the pronunciation is a little different as I always find it difficult to distinguish between those long vowel sounds, but no they are both pronounced exactly the same. She wipes the 注射 from the board telling us that we don’t need this kanji!!???%#$!? I am by no means a genius at Japanese, but sometimes teachers don’t half make it confusing. I’ll give it a go for a few lessons more, but I think I may find a private teacher again. Shame as I like fraternising with other students in the class. There’s a Danish women who seems a bit of a laugh and two sisters from Thailand who are dead friendly. Improving my Japanese is important me thinks – feel as if my Japanese has fossilised lately.

Anyway, I must get myself off to bed. James has taken to falling asleep on my bed and then I have to transfer him to the top bunk (which I must do in a minute). Alexa can climb out of the bottom bunk now so I am anticipating some kind of bedtime drama any day now. Funny how she doesn’t climb out in the mornings, but waits for me to come and get her. Both kids insist that I kiss their feet before they go to sleep too. Where do they learn that kissing feet is funny? Infact James likes me to kiss his feet, his clenched fists, then his open palms, the top of his head, his eyes then his mouth. It’s a ritual we have to do everynight and then I have to do the same to the big manky Elmo! If I forget to do it, when I go in to check they are both sleeping sounding, more often than not, James will still be awake waiting for me to return to do our little ritual. Only then will he fall asleep.

No sign of Hub…he’s still in Gunma Ken doing some fiddling about with the network system for some insurance company. Not even sure if he’s off this long weekend (Silver Week). I have two days off next week and only return to school for Thursdays lessons. Am going to Yokohama to meet up with some old Kamakura friends for a picnic which should be lovely. Hope the weather holds out. Has become a lot cooler the past few days. Is it just me or did the summer feel ridiculously short this year?